Medicinal Plants: Central Nervous System-Memory Loss

Question 1

Ginkgo

BOTANICAL INFORMATION:

Answer 1

• China
• Tree
• Cultigen-only know in cultivation
• Fossils (200 million years ago)
• Ornamental tree in Asia, Europe and North America
• Sacred in Japan
• Separate sexes-female grows fruit

Question 2

Ginkgo

HISTORY AS A MEDICINAL PLANT:

Answer 2

• Chinese medicine
• Seeds-asthma, coughs, bladder problems
• Leaves-blood circulation, skin disorders, plaster to heal wounds
• Extracts-promote vasodilation (opening of blood vessels)
  
  • Treats poor blood circulation, short-term memory loss, arterial diseases, depression, cognitive problems, inner ear disorders
  • Improve in elderly: memory, concentration, overall alertness, relief of pain and vertigo
• Terpenoids-Ginkgolides A-C
  
  • Promote nerve cell viability, reduce blood platelet aggregation factor, increases blood flow, prevents progress of dementia

Question 3

Caucasian Snowdrop

BOTANICAL INFORMATION:

Answer 3

• Herbaceous, bulb-producing
• Amaryllidaceae (Daffodil) family
• Europe and western Asia

Question 4

Caucasian Snowdrop

HISTORY AS A MEDICINAL PLANT:

Answer 4

-Bulb used in Europe and Soviet Union to treat tissue disease, abnormal muscle weakness, central nervous system disorders-polio

Question 5

Caucasian Snowdrop

MODERN UTILIZATION:

Answer 5

• Alkaloid-Galantamine
  
  • Inhibits acetylcholinesterase, enzyme degrades the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, increases stores of acetylcholine
• Galantamine stimulates the release of acetylcholine
• Used to treat mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease-progressive nerve cell degeneration
  
  • Relieves symptoms, increases cognition
  • Effects last for a year or more if taken regularly
• Acetylcholine promotes learning and memory
• Enhances the memory of patients suffering from brain damage, aid in memory recall and dream enhancement